I went for her eye. My fingers dug into her socket. Nausea rolled through me as my fingers slipped around the squishy ball. I pulled it free and fell back.
Shaking, I held it up before me. Confusion ripped through me, tinged with panic. It was nothing but an eyeball. Where was the gemstone?
Andromeda laughed. She rose before me, covered in mud. Her one eye socket was black and empty, leaking blood down her face. The other glowed with brilliant fury.
“Did you truly think that would work? That I would make my stonesthatvisible? I’m not like the others.” She leaned down, grabbed the front of my leathers, and hoisted me into the air. “You had one way to get your hands on my gemstones, and that was with the Mortal Blade. You squandered that chance, just as you squandered the only way you could destroy me completely—by channeling Kalen Denare’s power. You are helpless, Tessa Baran, and it is your own fault.” Her smile widened. “If only you were better, stronger, smarter, you could have conquered me.”
She pulled me so close I could see a hint of red behind her eyes. “I would have given you an easy death if you hadn’t tried to steal my power. But now I’m going to make you watch as I kill everyone you know and love.”
Fifty
Tessa
Her words threatened to destroy me. My worst fears were coming true, that I would fail—yet again—and be responsible for Nellie’s death, for Kalen’s unending pain, and for Toryn’s last moments in this world. We would lose. Everyone would die. And the reason would be me.
But I ground my teeth against the darkness, rejecting Andromeda’s words and the despair that threatened to consume me. I did not do this anymore. I did not let my past mistakes control me. I did not tell myself I was the monster when the monster was in front of me.
I would not go down this path again.
And so I took Andromeda’s eye, and I threw it in her face.
The shock of it made her loosen her grip on me. I whirled in a circle, slamming my wings into the side of her. She screeched in rage, dragging her nails through my wings. Burning pain erupted down my spine, but I shoved up from the ground to push into the sky.
Snarling, she called forth her wings and launched toward me. She grabbed for my neck once more, and I rose several more feet. Andromeda followed and darted in close. She got her hands around my arms and pierced my skin with her nails.
She jerked me in close to hiss into my face. “I am going to do everything to you that you’ve done to me. Every moment you try to fight is another I’ll add to all the fear and pain you must suffer, until you’re nothing but a broken husk begging for death.”
“You can try, but I won’t let you lay another hand on those I love,” I spit back.
“Oh, no?” A wicked grin curved her lips. “Then enjoy watching this.”
She extracted her nails from my skin and shoved me back. My wings caught me before I fell, but Andromeda was already gone. She flew to where Toryn was still locked in a bloody battle with his brother. At least one of them had managed to spear the other, though it was impossible to tell which with all the blood. Both spears were drenched in it.
Nellie had transformed into her wolf form. Snarling, she was fighting off two storm fae who were attempting to come at Toryn from behind. Silver was nearby, but he was locked in his own battle, surrounded by a half a dozen beasts. He couldn’t help my sister.
And Andromeda was flying straight for her.
Panic speared my chest. I hurtled after the God of Death, my wings tucked. But Andromeda was fast. She was closing in on her, and Nellie was so focused on the storm fae that she didn’t see her coming.
Andromeda slammed into my sister’s side. The two of them tumbled onto the ground. It threw them into a chaotic roll through the mud. I tried to steady my breathing as I kept flying. Andromeda was tangled up with Nellie, nothing more a blur of gray fur and deep black wings. I had to get there before she hurt her.
A familiar pain flared in my gut. I would not let this god take her from me.
Andromeda and Nellie finally rolled to a stop. My heart clenched when Andromeda found purchase first. She trapped Nellie’s beastly form beneath her with a knee on her neck and another on her chest. Andromeda looked up at me and smiled. She lifted her sharp nails.
“No!” I shouted. I needed two seconds. Just two seconds, and I would be on her.
“Say goodbye to your sister,” Andromeda said, laughing up at me.
With a roar, Nellie stabbed her claws into Andromeda’s throat.
The God of Death’s eyes went wide. Blood gurgled from her neck. Nellie ripped out her claw, watching as the god’s body slid sideways, tumbling off her. She quickly shifted back into human form, gathering her cloak around her body.
I landed in front of her only a second later. Her cheeks were drenched in tears, and her face had paled. I held out my hand. She took it and stood on wobbly legs. To our left, Toryn knelt over his dead brother’s body, weeping. He had conquered his enemy, but he had lost so much. Nellie put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Andromeda made a mistake coming after me,” Nellie said to me. “I’m the only one here who has a way to wound her.”
I looked down at the unconscious god. Already her wound was beginning to heal. “She let her rage cloud her judgement. She wanted to make me hurt as much as possible. That’s why she chose you.”
